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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 2023).

The Things They Say!

Hudson Music: Lance's "Bebop Spoken Here" is one of the heaviest and most influential jazz blogs in the UK.

Rupert Burley (Dynamic Agency): "BSH just goes from strength to strength".

'606' Club: "A toast to Lance Liddle of the terrific jazz blog 'Bebop Spoken Here'"

The Strictly Smokin' Big Band included Be Bop Spoken Here (sic) in their 5 Favourite Jazz Blogs.

Ann Braithwaite (Braithwaite & Katz Communications) You’re the BEST!

Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!"

Postage

15229 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 248 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (March 20).

From This Moment On ...

March

Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: FILM: Mo' Better Blues @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Fri 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Scarth Hall, Staindrop, Co. Durham. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Fri 24: Archipelago + Bulbils @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

Sat 25: Vermont Big Band @ Walker Community Centre, Walker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Fundraiser for Benfield Juniours Football Club. Hot food available, BYOB.
Sat 25: John Logan & Friends @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rat Pack, Motown etc. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

SSBB - Christmas @ Gosforth Civic Theatre - Friday, Dec. 14.

(Review by Lance).
As becomes the season it was party time and bells were jingled all the way on the opener. Yes, Jingle Bells, like you've never heard it played before - at least not since last Christmas (when F'reez gave us his heart more of which later). When the saxes stood up as a section the partygoers behind us erupted as if it were The Beatles at Shea Stadium.

Pete and Mark exchanging choruses rather than Christmas cards on Cole Porter's I Love You produced more 'oohs' and 'ahs' from the revellers. Not as many, however, as Alice did when she emerged from the wings in a shimmering, glittery, sparkly, figure-hugging green dress to sing Fascinating Rhythm - fascinating indeed!


Evenin' sang F'reez after 'Doc' Summers had blown an oriental blues intro. We skipped a few months to arrive at Paris in April and the old Basie/Wild Bill Davis arrangement is always worth hearing one more time.

Knarf, from the Maynard Ferguson library, originally written for American baritone saxist Frank Hittner and not, as I first thought, for Mr. Artanis, featured Robinson on alto and leader Lamb on trumpet. The band sounded great and the piano was playable this year as Graham Don proved throughout the evening.

Alice Grace is never less than outstanding as I've said, time after time and that is what she sang when making her second appearance - Time After Time. Also outstanding was Matt Forster on tenor. Matt now seems to be a regular member of SSBB.

A Christmassy Joy to the World by the band before F'reez returned to sing They Can't Take That Away From me - one of the all-time great songs by George Gershwin (much better than Summertime!)

I've Got Christmas saw Robinson and Summers having an alto joust before the appropriately named F'reez closed the set with Winter Weather and I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm. Graham Don kept the piano warm with some tasty chords.

A pint of Anarchy went down well which might explain why my notes from the second set are semi-undecipherable (well it was Christmas - your honour).

We Three Kings, in this case, Jamie Toms, Graham Don and Pete Tanton were the crowned heads whilst down front in the posh end the hoi polloi descended from above for some not so soft shoe shufflin'. 

This second set was totally seasonal so we had Carol of the Bells (Hi Carol); Midnight Prayer (a number Alice picked up from Polly Gibbons when she appeared with the band); Ding Dong Merrily on High (PJ & SS); F'reez and Alice went walking in a Winter Wonderland; This Christmas (F'reez); Santa Baby - my favourite Christmas song, particularly when sung by Alice who, now in a shorter, red, off the shoulder number, outsexed Eartha Kitt in her interpretation. Matt Forster soloed.
Sleigh Ride was a roller coaster ride before F'reez and Alice duetted on the other's fickleness in Last Christmas. That was the end 'cept, of course, it wasn't! Christmas Song and Fairy Tale of New York being the response to the cries of 'More!'

This band sets an increasingly higher bar with each gig and they will do it all again tonight - if you can find a ticket scalper!
Lance.
PS: Forgot to mention the tenor battle between Toms and Forster that made the recent Wilder/Fury fight seem like handbags at dawn.

Michael Lamb (MD), Pete Tanton, Gordon Marshall, Dick Stacey (trumpets); John Flood Kieran Parnaby, Chris Gray, Mark Ferris (trombones); Steve Summers, Keith Robinson, Jamie Toms, Matt Forster, Laurie Rangecroft (reeds); Graham Don (piano); Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar); Michael Whent (bass guitar); Guy Swinton ((drums); Alice Grace, F'reez (vocals).

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